All manner and variety of absorbent articles configured for the absorption of body fluids such as menses, urine, and feces are, of course, well known. Some particularly preferred absorbent articles are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,308,346 and 5,234,422 issued to Sneller, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,623 entitled "Trisection Sanitary Napkin" issued to Emenaker, et al., and PCT Publication No. WO 94/10045, entitled "Sanitary Napkin Having Core Predisposed to a Convex Upward Configuration", published on Mar. 23, 1995 in the name of Letha M. Hines, et al.
The latter publication discloses providing the sanitary napkin with one or more lines of weakness that allow the sanitary napkin to bend in a preferred manner. The lines of weakness may be comprised of discrete embossment sites. In the manufacture of such absorbent articles, difficulties are often encountered with process reliability and embossment quality, particularly when the sanitary napkin is made in a high speed manufacturing operation. Machine dynamics, such as vibration, cause high stress concentrations, high wear, and fatigue which decrease the life of the embossing apparatus. An apparatus which increases the machine durability, reduces machines vibrations, creates a wide distribution of stress concentrations and provides a high degree of control over the registration of the embossing pattern is needed, particularly when the sanitary napkin or other absorbent articles are being made in a high speed manufacturing operation.